Where to next?

The Newman Government has axed the 8 cent feed-in tariff, and as of July, 40,000 solar homes, and all future solar owners in Queensland, will have to negotiate directly with retailers to receive any return for the energy they provide into the grid.

In our recent meeting with Energy Minister Mark McArdle, he stated that because of high uptake of solar, retailers will have to offer a fair price for solar, as they will be be uncompetitive if they don’t. But, our experience with NSW, where families are receiving very small feed-in tariffs after negotiating with retailers, proves this otherwise. When pressed, Minister McArdle had no clear response as to how the Newman Government would guarantee that a fair price would be provided by retailers.

Although Minister McArdle had no answers on dealing with retailers, thanks to suggestions from many of you, we have a few options. We could continue to fight for fair legislated feed-in tariffs, or we could look into the option of bringing thousands of solar owners together to use our market power and negotiate a good deal with the energy retailers. Both options will use time and energy, so we'd like your thoughts on what the best use of our campaign resources. Let us know what you think below!

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Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!

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Showing 370 reactions

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I believe regardless what feed in tariff you are currently receiving – we need to be united to ensure that the government hears loud and clear that solar owners are not going to go away. Using market power is the best way to manage our extremely uncertain future with some poor state and federal governence.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I believe regardless what feed in tariff you are currently receiving – we need to be united to ensure that the government hears loud and clear that solar owners are not going to go away. Using market power is the best way to manage our extremely uncertain future with some poor state and federal governence.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I think it unlikely that retailers will want to compete for power fed into the grid by solar owners, as they will already be buying power from government-owned generators. This is particularly so in the case of solar producers who regularly cover their power needs from their own sources, and whose accounts with retailers are constantly in credit. Their primary concern is to sell power to consumers, not to buy from them.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I think it unlikely that retailers will want to compete for power fed into the grid by solar owners, as they will already be buying power from government-owned generators. This is particularly so in the case of solar producers who regularly cover their power needs from their own sources, and whose accounts with retailers are constantly in credit. Their primary concern is to sell power to consumers, not to buy from them.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: As I see it, the real problem is those people who put large systems in at the unsustainable feed-in tariff of 44 cents. That is what is killing the solar scene for everybody on the guaranteed tariff of 8 cents. It is the Government’s fault for offering these rates in the first place without limiting the size of the systems to be installed.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I think we should do a collective simultaneous shut down at peak times to make our presence felt. I also would be interested in collective buying power to convert to off grid systems.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: Firstly, we need to target the Qld Govt to resume the feed in tariff. Then if that fails, we bond together to get the best deal from a supplier.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: Personally I would have selected both options put to me. I would still like to see the government pressured to the point of legislating a guarantee that all retailers offer a minimum tariff of at least 8 cents (obviously more would be better). Should government negotiations break down, solar citizens could then resort to plan B. Plan B involves the Solar Citizens United (which has been assembled whilst carrying out plan A) moving into action to negotiate a fair deal with electricity retailers.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: Do we know the generation cost for a typical coal burning plant? We need to be getting this amount plus a social benefit amount . What about all of us becoming a cooperative & seeking the same tax benefits as big power generators get. i.e. tax write offs for any business inputs etc?

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I am with Origin and get 50 cents as a buy price. When I signed my solar contract a bit more than 3 years ago I was told that the buy price was guaranteed until 2018 in QLD contrarily to NSW. I understand now that it was like pre-election promises. You cannot trust State or Federal Governments. They are blunt liers, especially this Liberal/National mob which does not believe in Climate Change and is gifting our Tax money as subsidies to their mates of the high polluting big mines and coal industry instead of being smart and investing in renewable energy. We have not only to ally to negotiate good buy price with energy suppliers by playing the competition game but also and outmost get rid of this appalling government who is becoming the laughing stock of the world and a disgrace to any normal Australian.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I suspect that we’d be close to being able to significantly impact the supply and demand of electricity as a collective.

So, let’s consider the possibility that if we are “treated badly” as a group, that we might at some stage synchronise a shut-down of our feed-in. That might draw some attention to our voice.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: I am completely off-grid now, so the electricity retailers and state government can go F**K themselves.

Q: Anything you want to tell us? Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Let us know here!A: At the end of the day the government both local and federal will not have a option other than to support clean energy, unfortunately this will take a considerable time frame before this happens. in the meantime the dirty energy company’s supporting government with their dirty money will continue. Perhaps some natural disasters caused by global warming when it effects people making descissions about dirty energy things might start to chance. Need to support the Greens.